Bottle no. 9 and 4 years into The Brux Project. It was reviewed on 9/3/2016.
Appearance: Hazy copper gold, beige head, good retention.
Aroma: Banana, earthy, spicy, apples, pineapple, grainy, creme brulee, light funk.
Taste: Spicy, earthy, banana creme, caramel, pineapple.
Overall Impression: The 9th bottle has had the best head retention of any bottle I’ve opened. At various stages it’s had an almost “fizzy” level of bubbles. Now it’s developing a much more refined mousse with a more long-lasting head retention. All that time with the Brett continuing to ferment and produce CO2 is really finally starting to show. It also started to have a bit of bubble creep. It didn’t gush, but there was head creeping up the neck until I poured it into a glass. This is a good indication of the activity in the bottle.
The Brett is really trending towards the tropical fruit realm of flavors along with some nicely integrated but subtle funk. There’s the tiniest hint of tartness that works well to balance the flavors and add a bit of backbone to the tropical fruit tones. The mouthfeel with the improving head situation is creamy and rich with a medium finish. Overall, the flavors are very balanced and subtle without any one thing jumping out to aggressively distract you. It’s definitely at a very enjoyable stage right now. I’ll be excited to see what bottle no. 10 has in store for me!
Cellar: If your curious about what the conditions are that I’ve been keeping the bottles at, check out the link above to The Brux Project to see how I’m storing it. If you’re storing yours warmer, it may be a bit further in its progression than mine. If it’s cooler, a bit less.
Availability: Probably gone from stores. I’ve seen it show up in some “vintage” sales.
8.3% ABV